Set-top box devices and other media content access devices are often capable of allowing users to purchase access to a variety of different media content instances. For example, a user may purchase access to a pay-per-view event, a video-on-demand program, a movie, music, and/or any other type of media content instance available by way of a media content access device.
Because such media content instances are transmitted to a media content access device by way of some type of network (e.g., a subscriber television network), a user may experience a media content instance almost immediately upon purchase thereof. Hence, users currently do not have any incentive to pre-order a media content instance scheduled for broadcast or release at a future date (e.g., a pay-per-view event, a movie, etc.).
Moreover, traditional broadcast advertisements for such media content instances are limited to a relatively short amount of time to generate user interest in the media content instances. For example, it is sometimes difficult to generate user interest in a pay-per-view event or a movie scheduled for release during thirty second advertisements slots. Hence, alternative approaches to promoting and incentivizing pre-ordering of media content instances available for purchase are desirable.